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Hope Portocarrero Debayle | |
|---|---|
 Hope Portocarrero in 1960s | |
| First Lady of Nicaragua | |
| In role 1 December 1974 – 17 July 1979 | |
| President | Anastasio Somoza Debayle |
| Preceded by | Vacant |
| Succeeded by | Maria Luisa Muñoz |
| In role 1 May 1967 – 1 May 1972 | |
| President | Anastasio Somoza Debayle |
| Preceded by | Carmen Reñazco (1966) |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 June 1929 |
| Died | 5 October 1991(1991-10-05) (aged 62) Miami, Florida, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Anastasio Somoza Debayle Archie Angelo Baldocchi |
| Children | Anastasio, Julio, Carolina, Carla, and Roberto |
| Parent(s) | Nestor Portocarrero Gross (father) Blanca Debayle Sacasa de Portocarrero (mother) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Socialite, Writer, First Lady of Nicaragua |
Hope Portocarrero Debayle, also known asMadame Somoza andHope Somoza Baldocchi later in life,[1] (June 28, 1929 – 5 October 1991) was an Americansocialite and, beginning in 1967, theFirst Lady of Nicaragua as the wife of presidentAnastasio Somoza Debayle. In 1968, she was named to theInternational Best Dressed List.[2] She was the mother ofAnastasio Somoza Portocarrero and four other children.
Born into an old Nicaraguan Catholic family well established in the United States, Hope Portocarrero was the daughter of Dr. Nestor Portocarrero Gross and Blanca DeBayle Sacasa de Portocarrero. She had one brother, Nestor.
She was of Spanish, French, German, Hungarian, Honduran and Nicaraguan descent. Her maternal grandfather was Dr. Louis Henri DeBayle Pallais, who was married to Casimira Sacasa Sacasa; they had eight children together. Louis Henri DeBayle was a good friend ofRubén Darío. One of her maternal great-grandfathers wasRoberto Sacasa Sarria, a President of Nicaragua. The DeBayles and Portocarreros were among Nicaragua's wealthiestCreole families.
Hope spoke fluent English, Italian, Spanish, and French and had an appreciation for art and culture. After 1943, she moved toWashington, D.C., where she often spent time with her cousinLillian Somoza de Sevilla Sacasa. She attendedBarnard College ofColumbia University and graduated in the class of 1950.[3] Hope spent the summer of 1949 traveling in Europe, accompanied by her mother.
Hope Portocarrero Debayle and her cousinAnastasio Somoza Debayle were married on 10 December 1950 inManagua's Cathedral by Archbishop José Antonio Lezcano. Over 4,000 guests attended the ceremony. The reception was given by her father-in-law, PresidentAnastasio Somoza García, in the luxurious and modern Palacio de Comunicaciones. The couple traveled toSouth America for their honeymoon.
The Somozas had five children:Anastasio, Julio, Carolina, Carla, and Roberto Somoza Portocarrero. Her daughter, Carolina, is married to James Minskoff Sterling, son of New York real estate developerHenry H. Minskoff and his wife.[4]
When her husband became the President of Nicaragua in 1967, Hope Portocarrero became theFirst Lady. She was covered in the media for her fashionable wardrobe. During her husband's time in office, she served as a hostess during many state visits by foreign leaders, includingU.S. PresidentRichard Nixon andJapanese EmperorHirohito.
Hope was also president of theJunta Nacional de Asistencia y Previsión Social (National Social Security). She created the National Cultural Center, the General Archives of the National Library, National Conservatory of Music, National School of Fine Arts (Bellas Artes), National Museum, and Plurar Gallery. Her biggest legacies were the construction ofTeatro Nacional Rubén Darío (The National Theater of Nicaragua), the Children's Hospital, a clinic for Nicaraguan women, and a Center for Orphans, known as "The Hope".
Due to continuing marital strife, her husband Anastasio began a relationship with a mistress, Dinorah Sampson. Hope later relocated to London. Since the couple were Catholics, she never divorced Anastasio. A year after his assassination, she married Archie Baldocchi, a wealthy US American businessman. Hope died ofcancer inMiami, Florida on 5 October 1991.